Steven Seagal's pro-Putin views get him dumped from Baltic blues

Steven Seagal has been kicked off the bill of a blues festival in Estonia over his support for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, according to the New York Daily News.

But the bigger issue here is: Who books Steven Seagal to play a blues festival?

Festival organizers announced last month that the 62-year-old Seagal and his band would headline Augustibluus in Haapsalu on Aug. 14, celebrating the Estonia fest's 20th year.

Headline? Really?

Some citizens of Estonia, which was invaded by the Soviet Union and borders Russia, weren't crazy about the news, especially since the action star is a pal of Putin, whom he once described as "one of the greatest world leaders alive today."

Marg Helgenberger and Steven Seagal in "Fire Down Below"

The "Under Siege" actor defended Putin over Russia's invasion of Ukraine's Crimea territory in March, saying it was "very reasonable."

It wasn't just reasonable. Steven Seagal says it was "very" reasonable.

Perhaps Steven Seagal should go have a chat with some Ukrainians.

"We hoped the Estonian public would first and foremost see Steven Seagal as an actor and a musician," festival director Indrek Ditman said in a press release last month. "It turns out what they saw was rather a politician and a henchman."

The downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine, which many are blaming on pro-Russian separatists, did not help matters any.

According to the Daily News, Estonian rocker Tonis Magi was planning to boycott the festival if Seagal remained on the bill.

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"To many in Estonia, it came as a major surprise that the action movie hero is a blues musician," he continued. "Likewise, the organizers and numerous others were unpleasantly surprised by his political views and public statements."

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